By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record
First in a two-part series on new Davie girls basketball coach Denny Key.
The hiring of Denny Key as the Davie varsity girls basketball coach has created a buzz. Key was a highly-respected coach when he left Davie’s varsity boys in the summer of 1988, but he said he’s a much better coach 22 years later.
“I’m totally different than I was 22 years ago,” Key, 63, said. “I’m a better teacher, better coach and better man. Point blank. End of story. I don’t coach the same way. Since I left here (in ‘88), I had nine years with one of the best basketball coaches in the state of North Carolina - Irv Besecker (who assisted Key at West Forsyth from 1988-89 through 1996-97). Then I had two years with (Mt. Tabor’s) Andy Muse, the North Carolina Coach of the Year both years (2007-08 and 2008-09). That’s 11 years I’ve had - plus about seven or eight years of study and thinking. If I was going to be the same guy that I was when I came here in 1986, then I wouldn’t have even applied for the job. If I didn’t think I was a better coach and better teacher than I was then, I wouldn’t be here wasting these kids’ time. They need a better coach than I was back in those days ...